The skillset required to be a teacher is complex and wide-ranging – it’s why we refer to teaching as a “profession” and not just a “job”. But do teachers feel that they are treated as real professionals, both by society and the school systems they work for? Are their working conditions conducive to the idea of “professionalism”? In 2018, the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) asked over 260 000 teachers and school leaders in 48 countries and economies about their work and how they view the profession. Their answers give some insight into what professionalism means for teaching and what countries can do to boost it.